Enriched rice husk biochar superior to commercial biochar in ameliorating ammonia loss from urea fertilizer and improving plant uptake.

Adding value to agricultural leftovers and turning them into biochar is a viable way to replenish soil nutrients and boost crop productivity. To further validate the efficacy of enriched rice husk biochar, an incubation study and a pot experiment were conducted: (1) to describe the effect of enriched rice husk biochar addition on soil total N, soil exchangeable NH and available NO and (2) to describe the effect of enriched rice husk biochar on improving N, P, K, Ca, and Mg uptake, use efficiency, and dry matter production of rice plants. The amount of NH loss that was considerably reduced by rice husk biochar at 5 and 10 t ha was 34 % lower than the control.

Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Optic Neuritis Presenting With Orbital Apex Syndrome.

A 36-year-old man presented with an acute onset of a right eye monocular altitudinal defect associated with pain on eye movement upon waking up from sleep. His right eye subsequently developed outward deviation and a total loss of vision. Clinical examination of the right eye revealed a visual acuity of no light perception (NLP) with the presence of relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) and involvement of cranial nerves II, III, IV, and VI.

Improving phosphorus availability in an acid soil using organic amendments produced from agroindustrial wastes.

In acid soils, soluble inorganic phosphorus is fixed by aluminium and iron. To overcome this problem, acid soils are limed to fix aluminium and iron but this practice is not economical. The practice is also not environmentally friendly.

Qualitative assessment of soil carbon in a rehabilitated forest using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Logging and poor shifting cultivation negatively affect initial soil carbon (C) storage, especially at the initial stage of deforestation, as these practices lead to global warming. As a result, an afforestation program is needed to mitigate this problem. This study assessed initial soil C buildup of rehabilitated forests using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.

Reporting degree of deacetylation values of chitosan: the influence of analytical methods.

Purpose: To investigate and compare the effect of three analytical methods, hydrogen bromide titrimetry (HBr titrimetry), infrared spectroscopy (IR spectroscopy), and first derivative UV-spectrophotometry (FDUV-spectrophotometry) in the determination of degree of deacetylation (DD) of chitosan.

Methods: Three different chitosan samples were selected for the DD quantification employing HBR titrimetry, IR spectroscopy with samples in the forms of KBr disc (at ratios of 1:2 and 1:3) and thin film (concentrations of 0.5 percent and 1 percent), and FDUV- spectrophotometry.